This invention relates generally to wrenches, and more specifically, pertains to a tool holder capable of retaining variable size wrench components and incorporates a female type drive for enhancing the application of force and resulting torque upon any component being worked.
Innumerable style of wrenches or the like have been devised in the prior art, and usually such wrenches, particularly of the reversible type, that is, a wrench that can be caused to effect either a left hand or right hand drive, are integrally formed so that they can only accommodate a particular size nut, bolt, or other component upon which work is to be exerted. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,384, to the inventor Newman, discloses one such hand operated ratchet wrench which is of fixed dimension and which would appear to incorporate the male form of drive. One reason for the design of the current invention, incorporating a female drive, over the customary and usually found male drive is that the main force applied from the handle to the socket member is exerted through the female control itself, rather than, as disclosed in the current invention, the main force is exerted through the female component that entirely surrounds the socket control means. Where attempts have been made to incorporate a female drive into a wrench, usually the operating components of the control are rather complex in operation, and therefore are easily susceptible to breakage, even though the wrenches may operate satisfactorily during routine usage. Such is shown in the U.S. patent to Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,763. But, this Johnson wrench utilizes the principle of serrated pawls that are compressed into engagement with ratchet teeth by means of spring biased balls. Thus, the intricate network of such a control would appear to be rather delicate of structure as compared with the formed female drive of the current invention.
A form of male type drive is shown in the earlier United States patent to Briglia, U.S. Pat. No. 2,720,296, and this type of drive is somewhat related to the torque-applying tool device as shown in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,117, wherein an inner gear is controlled by means of peripherally disposed locking means when forces are to be exerted in a particular direction. A similar type control and drive is also shown in the much earlier U.S. patent to Purssell, U.S. Pat. No. 1,193,716.
Another style of female drive for a ratchet wrench is shown in the U.S. patent to Sandrick, U.S. Pat. No. 3,337,014, which again incorporates the principle of the rather intricately formed internal controls that are of the pivotally disposed type for attaining directional control and force transmission from the wrench lever.
In view of the foregoing, it is the principal object of this invention to provide a female or peripheral drive for a tool holder which can accommodate a variety of wrench components, of different styles, and which exerts force upon a directional control comprising a minimum of operating components, namely, a single shiftable pawl that may be conveniently disposed to function within the ratchet means of the aforesaid type of drive member.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a tool holder of the ratchet style that may be conveniently reversed in its operating characteristics by means of a readily and conveniently disposed finger control.
A further object of this invention is to provide a tool holder for various styles of wrench means that incorporate a minimum of operating components to attain either the right or left hand drive, or even fixed retention for undertaking neither of said directional type drives.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a convenient means for pivotally mounting the socket control housing to its handle and furnishing means for stably disposing these two components at any convenient angular direction with respect to each other so that leverage by way of manual force can be easily exerted upon the part being manipulated.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a tool holder incorporating a handle means that is design molded having a particular style of fluted surface that has been found to acquire less physical stress from the hand of its user.
A further object of this invention is to provide an improved handle for a tool holder that is formed of a strong molded material that can yet withstand the increased forces of pressure being exerted upon it during tool application, but yet still incorporates a hollow interior for storage of a variety of the forms of wrenches that may be accommodated by its socket means.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a specially designed adapter for use in conjunction with the tool holder of this invention.
These and other objects will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the summary of this invention, and upon undertaking a study of the description of the preferred embodiment in view of its drawings.